


Wrong Side of Heaven

by Jds523



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-08-07 12:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16408601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jds523/pseuds/Jds523
Summary: The world has gone to hell. There is no more law, no more right and wrong. Only survival. When Rick is taken by a group of militants he stops at nothing to get back to his son. Even taking someone with him. Little does he know that this person will change everything about this new world he once thought he knew.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting to this site. The story is just for fun. I hope that you enjoy reading, and if you do I hope that you let me know. Again all in fun so don't take anything to serious. And keep in mind that I do proof read my work but things still do get past me from time to time. This story will mainly focus on Rick/OC but everyone else will be sprinkled throughout. Enjoy.

The pain was overwhelming as Ell opened her eyes. She could see the dirt move with every breath she took. Pushing herself away from the ground she groaned. Her whole body hurt. She sat up and scooted until she was up against a wall. It took her a few minutes to finally come to and get fully awake. She tried to take a deep breath but it hurt. Pushing on her side she figured that she had probably received a cracked rib.  
Taking a few slow breaths she sat there and looked around. It wasn't hard to tell she was in a restaurant walk in freezer. She herd noise out side the door just before it opened. The sun poured in almost blinding her. When her eyes adjusted she saw three men holding another person with a hood on their head.  
The men drug the person in the small room. They threw the person to the floor. Two men began struggling with him while the third man went to Ell. Grabbing her he drug her toward the other person. Ell struggled with him kicking and hitting him, but it didn't stop him. He grabbed her by the foot and drug her on her back to the other men.  
She could hear chains rattling around. Looking down she watched as they put a large chain around her ankle then did the same to the other person. There was only about a foot and a half of chain between the two. The three men stood up and walked out of the door shutting it behind them. With a few good holes close to the ceiling there was enough light to see the hood of the person she was chained to.  
Once the men left the person set up quick. Ripping the blood covered hood from their head Ell was surprised to see a man sitting next to her. Short brown hair, blue eyes and what looked to be a week old beard. Ell just watched him as he looked around. “Where are we?”  
“Were in a freezer.” Ell answered the man. He looked down at his foot and tried to slip the chain off his ankle. He must of struggled with it for five minutes before giving up.  
Finally he moved until he was sitting against the same wall as her. “I'm Rick.” He said taking a rag from his pocket. Taking a small bottle of water from the ground in front of him he poured a little on the rag. He cleaned the blood from his face.  
“I'm Ell.” She looked him over. He was wearing black jeans and a tan jacket. When her ankle itched she reached down. Pulling up the leg of her pants she sighed. The cuts were just beginning to heal from the last person she was chained to. Their name was Jack. And she thought he would be her ticket to getting away from Job.  
Job was the man leading the group of men that were currently holding her and Rick. She couldn't remember how long she'd been with them. She was with a group of people that included Job. He was always weird. But one day he snapped. Him and another man from her grouped killed ten people and took her hostage. Since then she had been held by Job. And he'd proved time and time again that he would do anything to keep her.  
Job's group grew over time. And they would take people hostage. They would take women to do horrible things to them. And they would take men as walker bait and sheer entertainment. When they took Jack, Ell finally found someone she thought she could trust. Then when Job walked into the room they were being held in and found them holding hands he lost it. Two men came in and drug Jack out of the room. Throwing him on the ground Job shot him.  
Ell lost all hope that night. She'd been in that freezer for about a week. Alone with no one. Every day Job would come in and talk to her. The day before she must of said something he didn't like because she woke up this morning bruised. And now she was sitting there chained to Rick.  
“How long have you been here?” Rick asked after a long silence.  
“I can't remember how long these ass holes have had me.” She looked straight ahead.  
“We need to get out of here, as soon as we can.” Rick looked around for a chance to get out.  
“There is no getting out.” Ell looked at him like he was crazy.  
“I have a son I'm going to get back to.” Rick spoke with conviction. Ell respected that he wasn't ready to just give up. But she knew these people. And they weren't just going to let him walk away. And he was chained to her. Which meant that if he went then she had to go to. She'd tried that before and it ended badly.  
As the sun began to fade from the freezer Ell watched the door open and Job walk inside. It was time for his nightly talk. He walked to her and knelled down. He reached to brush hair from her face. She jerked away from him. Rick watched their interaction. “I'm sorry about last night. But you really left me no choice.” He stood back up and walked to the other side of the room. “You know I don't like it when you tell me no. And then the spitting, oh that nasty spitting. If I didn't long to one day taste that tongue I would cut it right out of your mouth.”  
He walked to the door then turned back to her. “As soon as we find our palace you will be mine.” He blew her a kiss then shut the door behind him. Ell sighed deeply. Happy that he was gone. She knew exactly what he had on his mind. He'd tried to have his way with her once. But she was able to fight him off. Since then he has said that he would wait till they found their palace.  
The next morning Ell woke next to Rick. Not that they could get very far from each other. She looked at the man at her side and waited. There was nothing else to do. But then banging on the outside of the door made her jump. “Get up, were moving in ten.” A voice yelled from the other side.  
“This is our chance.” Rick spoke almost trying to convince her to run with him.  
“We can't get away. They'll kill you.” She pleaded with him.  
“Do you want to stay with them?”  
“No”  
“Then follow my lead.” Rick said just as the door opened.  
Two men came in and led them out. They pushed Rick witch pulled Ell since they were chained at the ankle. The marched them down the road. The men all had guns. And with the two chain together with a small chain there was no need to tie their hands. Job walked at the front of the group while the others were spread out. A few in front of Rick and Ell and a few behind.  
They walked down the road for what seemed like forever. Until they came to a small store. Job ordered three men to stay with Rick and Ell. While he and the others would go into the store to gather what they could find. Rick knew this would be his only chance for who knew how long. And the longer they walked the further he got from his son.  
Rick watched the men walk into the store, and Ell watched Rick. She could tell he was going to do something. One of the men watching them walked to the side of the building to pee. With only two men there now this was the moment. As one walk beside him Rick grabbed him around the neck taking him to the ground. The other man came running. With his free leg he kicked the other man.  
Ell knew she had to do something. She jumped on the man on the ground and began hitting him. Rick began punching the man he took down. After three hits the man was unconscious. As he turned to the man Ell was hitting when the third man came running. Ell grabbed a knife from the man she was hitting. Rick grabbed the third man and began to fight with him.  
The man Ell was fighting with flipped her to her back. He wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze. With one hand she pushed on his face. She swung her other hand out. Holding the knife she drove it deep in his neck. Twisting it in his neck she watched the life fade out of his eyes. Turning she could see Rick still fighting with the man on the ground. Rolling to her other side she stabbed the other man in the neck.  
Rick leaned back in surprise. The man under him gagged and chocked on his blood before dying. He looked at Ell as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't have time to waste. Getting to his feet he helped Ell up. “We have to get out of here.” Rick's left ankle was chained to her right ankle. Taking her by the arm he began to move. Ell didn't have much of a choice.  
The two moved as fast as they could. It was a morbid three legged race. Only this time losing meant death. They ran into the trees behind the store. The woods were thick and the brush was high making it very easy to stumble. Rick held tightly to Ell trying to keep her from hitting the ground. All he knew was that they had to keep going. They had to get as far as fast as they could.


	2. Chapter 2

Rick came to a stop in a spot he thought the would be save for a few minutes. Ell placed her hand on a tree and the other on her hip. Bending over she felt like she was gonna puke. It all happen so fast. “Now what?” She asked Rick who looked around.

  
“It's getting dark, we need to find a place to stay.” He answered then quickly turned his attention to his left where he herd a familiar sound. The low growl of a walker. Ell pulled the knife out of her pocket and handed it to took. And when the walker was within reach he plunged the knife in it's head. He held the the knife while the walker fell to the ground.

  
Rick took her by the arm once again to move further into the woods. Ell just tried to keep up with him. She had no idea what his plan was. She was happy to be away from Job, but she didn't know where they were going to end up. Running as hard as she could to keep up with him she stumbled to the ground. Rick being chained to Ell he fell too. “Shit.” Ell huffed.

  
Rick looked her over. Ell had ha few cuts on her arms and face, but nothing bad. He got her back to her feet knowing they had to keep moving. But this time he slowed down. If they fell again one of them could break something and then they would be sitting ducks.

  
They moved until it was almost to dark to see. But just as they were about to quit for the night Rick found a small hunting cabin. “We can stay there for the night.” He lead her to the cabin. Opening the door he held the knife tightly. It was his only weapon and he was ready for what ever was on the other side of the door. As the door opened it creaked. Slowly Rick peaked his head around the door, only to find there was no one inside.

  
Ell walked inside and Rick locked the door behind them. There was a small table with two chairs and a full size bed. Rick took a chair and wedged it under the door nob. The windows had been boarded up long ago. Ell didn't know what to do next so she just watched Rick and waited. He seemed to have the plan so she was sure he would tell her what to do.

  
“Lets see if there are any tools here to cut these chains.” Rick began looking through the small cabin. There was a small coat closet that had a back pack in it. Inside the bag were a few tools. Just a couple screw drivers, a pair of pliers and a pulley. Rick took the longer screw driver and tried to pry the chain apart where it was locked together. He tried until he was red in the face but no luck. “There's nothing here that will work.” He laid the screw driver to the side.

  
“You should try to sleep.” Rick looked at Ell who looked at him like he'd lost his mind. She was chained to him, how was she going to sleep if he didn't?

  
“Your gonna stay awake all night?” She asked him.

  
“Yea, I don't want Jobs men sneaking up on us.” He moved to the bed with Ell. She climbed up and scooted to the side. Rick got on the bed next to her. Resting her head on the old pillow Ell closed her eyes and was out almost immediately. She didn't know Rick well but this was the safest she felt in a long time.

  
Rick looked down at the woman next to him as he sat up in the bed. He'd only met her two days ago but was already impressed. She had to have been terrified of Job and his men. Yet when her chance came she took it, killing two men. And running with a man she barely knew. He could see that she would do what ever she had to to survive.

  
Laying there Ell was waken from a sound sleep by the sound of people talking. She moved only to remember that she was chained to someone by the sound of the chain. Looking to her right she saw Rick laying there with his eyes closed. He must have passed out some time in the night. Hearing the voices getting closer she hurried to wake Rick. “Hey, hey Rick. Wake up.” She spoke forcefully as she shook him. Rick opened his eyes and looked up at her. “There are people outside.”

  
Rick tried to move when the chain pulled on his ankle. Looking down at his foot he shook his head. He took Ell by the arm almost pulling her off the bed. The two went to the door where Rick unwedged the chair and opened the door just enough to look out. He could see two men coming through the trees. “We can't out run them.” Rick looked at Ell. The men were to close for them to outrun while being chained together. He took the knife from his side. Ell bent down and picked up the screw driver off the floor.

  
They moved behind the door so they could surprise the men when they came in. Waiting Ell could feel her body shake. She knew these men were with Job and they were here to kill Rick and take her back to him. “You can do this.” Rick placed his hand on her shoulder trying to relax her. She looked into his eyes and saw something that made her body chill all over. It wasn't fear. It was something more exciting.

  
She listened as the men stepped on the stairs. Rick turned back to the door. The door opened and the two men walked inside. Once fully inside Rick pounced on one man while Ell took the other. All four fell to the floor. Rick slashed the mans throat without giving him a chance to react. Ell tried to stab the man but he knocked the screw driver from her hand. He grabbed her by the hair, raised her head and then hit hard on the floor.

  
The world slowed down and everything around her became fuzzy. As the man raised her head to do it again a hand reached around the mans neck. Rick pulled the man off Ell and then stabbed him in the back of the head. He pushed the man off Ell.  
Ell was still seeing spots when Rick leaned over her. “Are you okay?” He asked watching her open and close her eyes.

  
“I think so.” She took Ricks hand and got to her feet.

  
“When those two don't go back with you, he'll send more people for us. We have to get out of here now.” Rick lead Ell out of the small cabin. And back into the woods they ran.

  
Rick and Ell ran all day. Stopping every once and a while to catch their breath and drink some water. He knew he had to get to a road or some place he could figure out where he was and how he could get back to his son.

  
“Wait, wait.. I have to stop.” Ell took a hold of Ricks arm stopping him. When he stopped she knelled down and pulled the pant leg above the chain. Her ankle was bleeding and raw from the rubbing of the chain.

  
Rick knelled down as well. He looked back where they had just walked. She was leaving a blood trail. It was very faint but it was there none the less. Ell watched as he took his right shoe off then his sock. He took Ell's right foot in his hand and took her shoe off. Slowly he pulled the sock on her foot and over the open cuts. He watched as she winched in pain. He moved the sock under the chain hoping for a protective barer between her skin and the chain.

  
Ell looked at Rick with something in her eyes he hadn't seen in a long time. In fact it had been so long since he'd seen it he wasn't sure what it was. But he knew he'd seen it before and he knew it meant something big. He gently pulled the pant leg back down over the chain.

  
Before she knew it they were walking again. But finally after forever they came to a road. Ell rubbed the side of her head. The heat was getting the better of her. “Look, down there.” Rick pointed down the road to a gas station. “We need to find you some water. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll have a map.”

  
“A map?” She asked him.

  
“My son was with a group staying at a cory, it should be on a map.” He took her by the arm once again as they began to walk.  
“Do you have any idea where we are?”

  
“There's sign across from the gas station, should tell us what route were on.”

  
The two walked until they reached the gas station. Across from the station there was a state route sign. Inside the gas station he found a map and easy found a way back to the cory. Now he just had to figure out a way to get to the cory. But first he needed to find a tool to remove the chains from their ankles for driving would be really tricky.


	3. Chapter 3

Rick searched every inch of the gas station. But no luck finding anything thing that could break the chain. Handing her a bottle of water Rick watched her drink. He took a few more bottles and put them in a bag. The next thing he had to do was find a car that would run with enough car to get them to the cory. There were several cars outside the building. Ell followed along side him. Not that she had much of a choice.

The first car they went to had keys in it but wouldn't start. The next car he went to wouldn't start so he hot wired it, and just like the one before it didn't start. The third time was the charm. “Now this may be a little tricky.” Rick looked at Ell. In order for them to be in front Ell would have to drive. But with her right foot chain to his, pushing the gas and break would be difficult.

“I can drive.” Ell told him. Rick got in and scooted across the seat so that she could get in and sit down. “Just tell me where to go.” She began to pull out of the parking lot. Rick told her which way to go.

Ell drove in silence down the long county road. Rick would speak up when she needed to turn. Other wise they didn't speak. What could they say? But the silence was too much for Ell. “Who's you little boy with now?” She finally said.

“His mother and her boyfriend. Their with a group staying at the cory.” Rick looked out the window. It seemed like he was ashamed of something.

“Oh...” she wasn't sure how to respond to that. “I bet you can't wait to see him.”

“I just hope they didn't have to leave.”

“Don't worry we'll find them.” She looked at him with a smile. There was something about his eyes that she liked.

The drive wasn't that long. Pulling around a curve Rick light up like a kid on Christmas. There were people there. When Ell parked the car a young boy came running to the car yelling dad. Rick would of jumped out but couldn't. After hugging the young boy Rick slowly slid out and Ell followed behind.

“Good to have you back.” An older man with a hat and beard patted him on the back. As others came to see who had just showed up in their camp. Rick introduced Ell to everyone as they gathered and took him how they had looked for him and were happy that he was back safe and sound.

When the commotion subsided Rick was finally able to ask Dale if he had any bolt cutters. Following him to his camper Rick and Ell were both happy to finally have a tool they could use to cut themselves apart. Granted there was a part of Ell that didn't mind being chained to Rick. But she was so happy that she could finally pee with out him.

That night Rick sat next to his son as the entire group ate and laughed like old friends. From time to time Rick would find himself looking across the fire at Ell. She was sitting next to Amy and Glen. There were all around the same age so it made sense. The three seemed to be forming a nice friendship. That night in fact she stayed with Amy and Andrea.

The next day Ell wanted to help out so she tagged alone with Andrea and Amy to do laundry. With no more electricity every thing had to be washed by hand. When they were done washing the cloths they hung them on lines to dry. Amy and Andrea left to go fishing when Ell only have a few items left to hang up. There alone with the cloths Ell watched as Rick walked up to her.

“I see your getting along alright.” Rick said more so asking then saying.

“Just trying to do my part.” Ell smiled at him. “So you were a cop before all this?” She asked since he was wearing his uniform shirt.

“Yea.”

“Must be lost now.”

“Why do you say that?”

“There are no rules or laws anymore.” She finished hanging the last item and just looked at him. “What works one day won't work the next if you want to stay alive. Were all just trying to survive and were making shit up as we go along.” She laughed.

“Whats so funny?” Rick was smitten with her laugh.

“We had all these laws and guide lines to live by, what we thought made us a society and decent people. Now you have to be willing to do some of the worst things you can think of to stay a live.”

“We can still be decent people. Be kind and loving to the ones we care about.” Rick retorted.

“True, but some times it's hard to kill a man with your bare hands then hug the one you love.” She sighed and picked up the laundry basket and walked away. Rick watched as she walked, his stomach fluttering. A three minute conversation had just made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt like a kid on his first date with butterflies in his stomach. And he liked it. With a smile on his face he walked away to find Shane. They needed to go over some ideas for keeping the came safe.

That night around the fire again they talked like old friends. Rick kept an eye on Ell even when she got up and walked away. He excused himself and got up as well. Walking behind Dales camper he found her alone. “What are you doing over here?” He asked as he came up on her.

“You see that bright star? The one that seems brighter than all the others?” She looked at Rick as he looked up to the sky. “That is Venus.” She sighed as he looked back at her. “Science was always my favorite subject.”

“You just over here looking at the stars?” He asking wondering if she was really just looking at the stars or if she was up to something else. At that moment he didn't care. They were alone, which wasn't easy to do around the camp.

“Is it hard to believe that I enjoy looking at the stars?” She asked as he took a few steps closer to her. He shook his head no. “There they only thing that doesn't change any more.” Ell stood with nervous excitement as he got even closer. She wanted him to kiss her. And she didn't know it but he wanted to kiss her too.

Rick wasn't sure what to do. The last woman he kissed was his wife. Who was now sleeping with who he thought was his best friend. He didn't know if this would be to soon. After all he'd just met her a few days ago. But what was the point in waiting? With everything in such chaos around them there was no time to wait.

Now standing only inches from each other Rick touch her check gently as he leaned in and kissed her. It was just a quick kiss to see if she'd tell him not to touch her. As he pulled back to gauge her reaction he was happy to see a smile on her face. That was all he needed. Leaning in again he put both hand on her face, almost pulling her to him.

Ell put one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his head in his hair. Rick pressed his body against hers. Stepping back she ended up with her back against the camper. Which was fine with her. It gave her leverage to push her hips against his. It had been so long sense she had felt the touch of a man that she wanted this badly. But she didn't want to rush things. Pulling back she stopped herself. “We should get back before people come looking for us.” She talked like she was out of breath.

“Yea.” Rick agreed. The last thing he wanted to was stir up drama in the camp. There was enough already between him, Lori and Shane. He would talk to Lori when the time was right and just tell her. Rick turned to return to the fire but Ell wouldn't move. “What's wrong?”

“You go ahead, I have to pee, I'm gonna find a tree.” She walked toward the tree line while Rick walked toward the fire. He sat down next to his son and joined in on the conversation. After a few minutes Ell returned to the fire as well. As she sat down her eyes met with his and instantly smiled. Little did they know that life for either of them would never be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and if you are please let me know. I love the feed back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update took so long, the holidays were crazy. I love all the feedback and I can't thank you enough. As always if you're enjoying what you're reading please let me know.

The following day Rick went about his daily task as normal. After getting water him and Shane made their rounds around the outside of the camp. Usually they would come across one maybe two walkers. That morning they came across seven. “I think it's time we move on.” Rick talked to Shane as they walked along.

“I say we go to Fort Benning.” Shane has thought they should move on for a while.

“I still think we should try the CDC. They would keep it going as long as they could.” Rick talked to Shane as they walked back to the camp. They decided to talk to everyone that night around the fire. Come to decision on where to go, cause it wasn't safe to stay there much longer.

Walking to his tent Rick looked around for Ell. He didn't see her. He put his gun down inside and stepped back out. “Dad, dad look.” Carl came running to him with Sophia at his side. Both children held their hands up to show him what they had. Holding their hands up Rick could see they were holding turtles.

“Where did you get those?” He asked taking Carl's from his hand to look at it closer.

“Ell caught them for us.” Carl took his turtle back from his dad.

“Did she?”

“She said we would have to let them go later cause their water turtles.” Sophia looked at her turtle lovingly.

“Where is Ell?” Rick asked the kid before they could run off to show the animals to the next person.

“She's down by the water.”

“Why don't you go show your mom your turtle.” Rick told him and then watched the kids as they ran off with their treasures.

Walking toward the quarry Rick watched as Ell sat with Amy and a few other women washing cloths. She was laughing with the other women and for a moment it seemed that all was right with the world once again. When got next to her he knelled down. “With all this washing how did you find time to catch turtles?”

Ell turned to him with a smile still on her face. “The kids found them I just caught them.” She turned back to her washing. “Their just lucky they weren't big enough to eat.”

Rick chuckled. He looked up as the other women all walked away leaving him and Ell there alone. She could see that Rick had something on his mind. “What's going on?” She asked him after he didn't say anything.

“We need to leave, this place isn't safe anymore.” He stood up as she did. “Shane thinks we should go to Fort Benning.”

“What do you think?” She could see that he had doubt in his mind.

“I think we should try the CDC.”

“What does Shane say about that?” She knew Shane was the only reason he didn't just pack up and go. Lori was going where ever Shane went and taking Carl with her.

“He wants to try Fort Benning. Thinks there's a better chance of military still holding there.” Rick looked at Ell as she stood up.  
Ell looked into Ricks eyes. She could still taste him on her lips. And at that moment she wanted to taste him again. “What are you going to do?”

“I don't know, I have to talk to Lori.” He moved closer to her. He wanted to kiss her, touch her, hold her.

“Hey Rick,” a voice called out making both Ell and Rick turn. When they saw Shane, Ell quickly said goodbye.

Back at the small camp Ell helped Glen stack fire wood for the up coming night. After a while Rick and Shane returned to camp. Shane went to Lori and Rick went to Ell. “So where are we going?” Glen asked knowing the issue at hand.

“The CDC, Shane thinks it's wrong but he agreed.” Rick watched as Shane and Lori went into their tent. “I think we should leave tomorrow. The longer we're here the more of a chance we're taking” Rick took the rest of the day to talk to the rest of the group. Letting everyone know that they needed to get up early and get moving. Getting the whole group ready was going to take some time.

That night around the camp fire they set a plan in motion. They were to be ready to leave by noon. They talked about the different things they could run into while on the way. And after a while the become somber. So Dale took it upon himself to change the subject. Rick sat there looking across the fire at Ell. They laughed with everyone trying to enjoy what was left of the night, knowing all to well that tomorrow was going to be a ruff day.

When Ell got up to walk away Rick noticed. He watched her go into a small two man tent. After a minute he excused himself. Ell turned around when she herd the zipper. Rick slipped inside and zipped the tent back up. “You never said what you thought of this.” He asked her as she pulled a sweat shirt over her head revealing a tank top.

“Anything is better then where we first met.” Ell swallowed the lump in her throat. This was the first time Rick had been in her tent. After the previous night it wasn't hard to figure out what he was doing there. The problem was that Rick wasn't the type of man to just jump into bed with a woman. With the world the way it was now there was no dating. Taking things slow and seeing where it goes. These days connections were made and people became close in no time. Everything moved quickly now and you either kept up or were left behind.  
Rick reached his hand out to touch her. Gently he touched her face then put his hand on her neck and pulled her to him. When their lips met she could feel her body melt in his hands. She started pulling his shirt from his pants. She wanted this more than anything else at that moment. Rick slowly moved to her to the ground. On top of the sleeping bags he pulled his shirt off. Ell unzipped her pants and removed them quickly.

She was ready for him. Rick removed his pants as quickly as he could. Kissing her neck he thrust himself into her. Arching her back she moaned out in pleasure. As he moved he could feel her body tighten around him. It was very obvious she was enjoying it. Ell grabbed his hips pulling him into her as deeply as she could. She wanted to feel every inch of him that she could.

Arching her hips she met his body with every thrust. He continued to kiss and bit her neck. He was lost in the taste of her. And before he knew it he had cum and the moment was over. He rolled over to his back and took a few deep breaths. Ell smiled listening to him breath heavy. After a minute she rolled over and laid her head on his shoulder.

“I don't want Carl to know about this. The whole thing with his mom and Shane is bad enough. Can we just keep this between us for now.” Rick waited for her answer. He was worried that she'd be upset.

“That's fine.” She didn't care to tell everyone any way.

The next morning she woke alone in her sleeping bag. Rick left in the middle of the night. He didn't want to be seen coming out of her tent in the morning light. Throwing her cloths on she got out quickly. They would be loading up in leaving in a matter of hours. But the first thing on her mind was finding a tree. She had to pee so bad her back teeth were floating.

After peeing she stood up to zip up her pants. When she turned Rick was there waiting. “You gonna follow me every time I have to pee?” She asked.

“I just wanted to let you know why I left before you woke up.”

“I know why, and I understand.” She half smiled.

“Okay.” He stood there with his hands on his hips. “You better get back to get packed up.”

“Can I ask you something?” Ell asked just looking at him. Rick nodded his head. “Are you just going to sneak into my tent at night?” She smiled at him.

“No, I imagine you'll sneak into my tent at some point.” Rick hugged her and kissed her on top of the head. Ell turned and went back to camp. This was going to be a long day, and they were both ready to have it over.


	5. Chapter 5

Rick drove the SUV with Andrea in the front seat, while Amy and Ell were in the back seat. Ell watched out the window as the world passed by. The road was empty expect for the occasional abandoned car. She felt an overwhelming emptiness in her soul. All theses people just gone. And the ones that were left were no longer the same. Looking up at Rick she wondered what would happen when they got the the CDC. If there was someone there would they have a cure? And what happens if there is no one there, is all hope lost?

It seemed like they were driving for ever. And no one spoke. There was to much to think about. No one knew what was going to happen. Every once in a while Rick would look from the road to Amy and Ell in the back seat. After what seemed like days they stopped outside the CDC.

It was clear that the military had tried to keep the CDC safe. But without a single person in sight it seemed they had failed. Everyone got out and gathered. It wasn't long before the walkers began to take notice. And once the first shot was fired there was no going back. Everyone with a gun ran on the sides while those with out stayed in the middle of everyone else. They killed walker after walker to get to the front door.

Standing there huddled in the corner they waited for the doors to open. After pleading for the their lives the doors opened and they hurried inside. When the doors shut and locked behind them they turned to the lobby of the building. A man stood there looking at them. "A blood sample is the cost of admission." He finally said after a long painful silence.

Ell sat in the seat at Jenner readied the needle. Rick was at her side. "You afraid of needles?" Jenner asked her.

"No, I just don't like to watch." She turned her head. As Jenner stuck her with the needle Rick placed his hand on her shoulder. Shane couldn't help but take notice of the gesture. He didn't say anything, that wasn't the time. After he had his blood from every one they eat the best meal they had had in a long time then Jenner showed them where they could sleep.

Alone in her room Ell went through the few things she had in her bag. She'd never been one to have a large wardrobe. But to only have one change of cloths made her sigh. Taking her items to the bathroom she washed her cloths then hung them up to dry. Knowing that there was hot water she couldn't wait. She pulled the tie out of her hair, slipped out of her cloths and turned the water on. When it was warm enough she stepped in the shower.

Rick waited until the hall was silence to leave his room. He'd watched which room Ell went into. With no one in the hall he knocked lightly on the door. When she didn't answer he let himself in, shut the door behind him and locked it. He didn't want anyone to interrupt them.

When he herd the water running he wasted no time. Like a kid in high school Rick got out of his cloths quickly. When he opened the shower door it made Ell jump. Stepping in behind her Rick wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. "What are you doing?" She asked. Not that she didn't want him at that moment. It was just that she'd never been in the shower with a man before.

Still with her back to him Ell pressed her body against his. Rick was already hard. Placing one hand on her hip and the other on himself he guided himself slowly into her. Ell put her hands on the shower wall to brace herself. Brushing the hair from one side of her neck Rick placed his lips on her skin. Even with the hot water chills raced down her body.

Rick began to thrust harder and faster until he slipped right out of her. "Shit." Rick said. Ell turned around to face him with a smile on her face. He put his hand on her hip running it down her leg he lifted it wrapped it around his waist. Thrusting back into her, Ell gripped his shoulders. Her back against the shower wall she pushed back burring him deep inside her.

Ell lifter her other leg and locked her feet behind Rick's back. He put both hands on her hips and moved even faster. With each thrust Ell dug her nails deeper and deeper into the skin on his back. The pain only made the moment more erotic. Rick became more animal like and his soft kisses turned to bites. He moved from one side of her neck to the other leaving hickeys in his wake.

Pushing deeper into her Rick could feel her sex contract around him as she orgasmed. She pushed him back by the shoulders as her legs tightened around him while she rode out the orgasm. As she began to twitch and curl her toes Rick came too. "Shit." He cried out as his knees almost buckled.

Putting her feet back on the ground Ell kissed Rick one last time. Now she did need to shower. Rick lathered the washcloth in soap and began washing Ell's back. She stood there and just enjoyed his touch. He moved his hands over her body as he kissed her neck. The moment was sensual, intimate and Rick lost himself in her.

After the shower Ell dried herself and put on a large shirt. Walking to the bed she laid down and pulled the blanket over herself. When Rick was done he went to the bed to join her. Laying down next to her he moved the hair from her neck only to see where he'd left his mark. "I got a little carried away." He said as he moved his finger along her neck. Ell rolled over and smiled at him. Laying her head on his chest he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't long before the both of them were asleep.

The next morning Rick woke still sleeping next to Ell. When he moved she woke. Opening her eyes she looked up at him and smiled. An overwhelming feeling of happiness flooded over him. After the divorce with Lori and then the world turning to shit, he thought he would never be happy again. Leaning down he gently kissed her lips. "I guess we should get up." Ell whispered.

"Yea, I don't want them to come looking for us." Rick sighed deeply disappointed that he couldn't just lay in bed with her all day. But the fact was that until he could talk to Lori and Carl he didn't want any one to find out about him and her. And if some one came looking for him and found him Ell's room half dressed it would take long for everyone to put two and two together.

Even with Lori and Shane seeming to be the power couple, Rick was the undeclared leader. Just about everyone in the group looked to him for guidance. Except for Shane and Lori that was. Shane didn't always agree with Rick's decisions and what ever Shane said was law for Lori. She'd never been one to make choices for herself. At one time it was Rick she looked to, but now, Shane. And that was causing tension to build between the three of them.

Rick hated the way things were at the moment. Lori would follow Shane off a cliff and take Carl with her. There was nothing Rick wouldn't do for his son. And taking him from his mother wasn't an option. So for now Rick had to get along with Shane and Lori. He had to keep the peace for the sake of his son. Plus there was safety in numbers, and Shane too would do anything to keep Carl safe. So Rick would just have to swallow his pride and deal with it. Tomorrow was no longer a promise and he would make this life as good for his son as he could while he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and the kudos! I really hope your enjoying it so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick got dressed and left the room to join the rest of the group. Ell took her time getting up. Alone in the room she took another long hot shower. She didn't know when she would get the chance again so she took advantage of it while she could. After getting her cloths back on she gathered the few items she had to call her own. Putting them in a small bag she could put over her shoulders she readied herself to join the group.

After the past few nights she felt like every time she saw someone it was written on her face that she had just had sex. Walking into the dinning area she sat next to Amy. As the food was passed around she filled her plate and ate without saying much. Rick was sitting across the table and few seats to her left. She could feel his eyes on her. And from time to time she would look at him. The smile on his face made her smile.

Talking to Lori, Shane looked at Rick. He had a smile on his face and Shane followed his gaze to Ell. He knew that look. It was the same look he would give Lori after they started having sex. He took a deep breath to keep calm. He wasn't jealous. No he had Lori and Carl. He was worried. He felt that the power was shifting from Rick to himself. And if Rick and Ell joined to form some kind of power couple then his power would be in jeopardy. Weather it was all in his head or not Shane was going to figure out what was going on between Rick and Ell and put an end to. Regardless of what that would take. But only when the time was right.

Sitting there still eating Ell laughed with Amy as she joked about something from the past. “Hey, what happen?” Amy leaned closer to Ell and asked looking at her neck. Ell's face started to turn red knowing what they were but she wasn't about tell Amy that the marks on her neck were from Rick's teeth.

“I fell yesterday on our way in here.” Ell lied and felt stupid that she couldn't come up with anything better than that. But she didn't want to take the time to come up with something better. Amy wasn't stupid. And with Ell's face turning red it would take her long for it to click in Amy's head.

“On your neck?” Amy looked at her like she was crazy.

“Yea, I tripped over a cot and fell into another cot.” Ell looked at Amy. She could see that Amy didn't believe her and she was adding it up in head. Ell prayed that someone would say something, anything to change the subject. And lucky for her Dale did just that.

Standing up Dale asked Jenner what the clock was counting down to. And after some choice words they finally got their answer. Granted it wasn't one they were expecting, but they got an answer. Panic set across the group like a wildfire as the realization set in that the building was going to explode. Locked in the room Daryl and Shane began trying to break out of the room with and ax. Lori held Carl and cried, she was good at that. And Rick began to plead with Jenner.

Women were crying, men were trying to force to door open. Jenner told them how it could all be over. Quick and painless he said talking like they would just simply lay their heads down and go to sleep. Rick pleaded with him to just give them a chance, just one chance. After what was only seconds, but seemed like hours, Jenner relented and opened the door. The group rushed to the front of the building where once again they couldn't get out. Carol handed Rick the grenade and after they were all showered with glass they ran to the cars.

They started to drive away as the building exploded behind them. They had escaped with their lives. But for what? It seemed that any hope of a cure died inside that building. Now they had to find something else to live for. They no longer had the illusion that one day there would be a cure. And that they may be able to return to some form of their past lives. It was all gone. And for some that would be their breaking point. There would be no reason to go on, no reason to breath.

Rick drove down the road knowing that he would have to face the fact that some of his people would just want to give up. And for a small moment he wanted to. But he couldn't. Carl would live if it killed him. So he kept driving. He had to keep moving. Had to find someplace safe for them to stay for the night.

After driving for hours they stopped on a freeway. The abandoned cars made it impossible for Dale to get his RV through. They would have to make a path or turn around and find another way. Just before turning the engine off an all to familiar sight appeared. Smoke blew up from the engine. The hose on the radiator gave way again and needed to be replaced. So weather they liked it or not they would be staying there on the freeway for the night.

“Lets go through these cars see what we can find.” Rick instructed the group. He watched as they divided and went about the task at hand. Ell went in her own direction. He walked to her. They hadn't spoke since he'd left her in the bed they had shared the night before. “You okay?” He asked. She nodded her head yes and continued to look through the cars. “Back at the CDC.” He stopped cause he wasn't sure what he was going to say. Let alone what he should say. They almost died.

“I'm fine.” She reassured him with a smile.

That night in the middle of the freeway they made a little fire. They had been able to find some canned goods and used the fire to heat their goodies. The mood was somber and quiet. No one was quite sure what to say. Everyone just ate then got ready for bed. With Andrea and Amy sleeping in Dale's RV that would leave Rick and Ell alone in the SUV.

They both sat in the back seat. An old bench seat was pretty close to a couch. Rick moved closer to Ell and placed his arm around her. It was dark enough outside that he was sure no one could see them. She laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. Even with the events of the day, the darkness of the woods right next to them, she felt safe in his arms. And at that moment she wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world.

The next morning Rick opened his eyes to see the roof of the SUV. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he noticed that Ell was no longer on his shoulder. Looking down he saw that at some time in the night she moved and now had her head in his lap. Using him as a pillow. He placed his hand on her arm trying not to wake her but with no luck. She was sleeping soundly and the sudden movement made her jump.

“I don't care where we end up, I am not sleeping in the car again.” She rubbed her neck. Rick smiled. After they got out of the SUV they both stretched. After a moment the walked to Dales RV to join the rest of the group and make a plan for the day.

Even though it was early Dale already had Glen fast at work on the RV radiator. After talking for a few minutes it was decided that people would keep going through the cars to find what they could. Daryl went off into the woods to hunt in hopes of finding some protein. Shane and Rick walked through the woods and talked about where they would go from there. Staying on the freeway wasn't an option.

When he came back Rick found Ell. “Have a nice walk?” She asked him. He just smiled.

“We can't agree on where to go.” Rick looked back at the group as Shane and Lori hugged.

He sighed while looking at Ell. If only he could have met her before the world turned to shit. He wondered where he would have taken her on a date. Now there was no dating. Two people were just drawn together. Like he was to Ell. And there was no romance. If there was a moment you better take it cause you never knew what was going to happen from one moment to the next.

“Walker!” He herd Andrea yell out from the top of the camper. Rick ran back to the RV. Looking through the scope of his riffle he could see it was more than just one walker. There was a whole horde of them. More than the whole group could fight off.

“Get down!” Rick started yelling at everyone. He then ran to Carl and got him under a car and got under it with him. He looked back to where Ell was and watched her scoot under a truck. People were scrambling to get under cars and trucks. There only hope was that the horde would just go right past them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading and the Kudos. I feel the love. I really like it when people enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoy writing them.

 

Ell laid on the concrete under an old truck and watched the walkers shuffle past her. She looked up to Rick then back out under the truck. She'd never seen so many walkers in one place before. She held her breath, knowing that it would only take one person to make a noise and the whole horde would be upon them.

After the last walker shuffled by Ell got out from under the truck and back to her feet. As everyone got up they all made their way back to the RV. A scream rang out through the silence. When she turned Ell saw Sophia running through the woods with two walkers right behind her and Rick right behind them. She watched in horror as no one else followed to help.

Rick ran until he scooped Sophia up in his arms. He ran until he found a small creek. Having her sit back under some roots he told her how to get back to the road if he didn't come right back. Then he lured the walkers away from her and out of sight. Sophia sat and caught her breath. She waited for him to come back, but it didn't seem like he was coming back.

Crawling out from under the roots she started back toward the road. She tried to do as Rick had told her. But alone in the woods everything looks the same. Especially if your a young child. So she walked trying her best to find her way back to the safety of her mother.

Rick killed one walk with a rock. Simply throwing the rock with enough force crushed the walkers skull. Then he looked to the ground and found a large branch. Running at the other walker he ran the branch through it's eye socket and through the brain. Out of breath he wasted no time. Turning around he began back toward where he had left Sophia.

Stopping at the small opening in the roots Rick looked around for Sophia, but he couldn't find her. So he began walking back the way he'd told her to go. He moved slowly trying to listen for her in case she was close by, but just not within eyesight. He walked until he reached the road. He was really hoping that she was already back. But when Carol ran to him looking for her daughter he knew she wasn't back.

Rick led Daryl, Shane and Glen back to where he left Sophia. From there Daryl took the lead following foot prints on the ground that he could see. Rick looked at the same spots as Daryl but couldn't see what he saw. But he'd come to really trust Daryl so he just followed his lead. “She veered off in this direction.” Daryl stopped and point off to the left. It seemed odd that she would just pick this point to go in a different direction. But Daryl knew what he was doing so no one was going to question him.

Rick and Daryl followed the foot prints while Shane and Glen went back to camp. Ell stood in silence as the two men emerged from the woods. Carol retreated into the RV with tears in her eyes. Everyone else began to busy themselves with this, that or the other. Anything to keep their minds of the fact that they would most likely not see Sophia again.

As dark fell upon the group Daryl and Rick finally emerged from the woods. Daryl was sure they would be able to pick up where they left off at first light. He was cretin they would find her. For Carol that offered little solace knowing her little girl would have to stay alone in the woods over night.

Ell sat on the ground beside the SUV alone. After a while Rick came and joined her. Sitting right next to her he placed his hand on her knee. “Daryl said we'd find her tomorrow.” Rick was the first to speak.

“Do you believe him?” Ell looked straight across into the woods.

“Yea, I have no reason not to.” He looked to his left at her. He wondered what she was thinking about. Did she think they would find Sophia? Did she doubt him or Daryl? Maybe she just didn't have any faith because it was a child lost in the woods. He didn't know but he wasn't going to pry at that moment. It had been a long day and now they had to sleep in the SUV again.

The next morning a plan was made. Rick and Daryl would began tracking the foot prints again. While the others would go in sets of two out in different areas in hopes of finding her. The thought was that maybe she just got turned around and hunkered down somewhere. Just as every one set off into the woods Rick looked at Ell. He worried about sending her into the woods with someone else. He wanted to be with her if she got in trouble. He had a scene of protection. Not that she needed his protection, but that he wanted to give it.

The sun beat down through the opening in the tops of the trees. Ell walked behind Glen looking for any sign that someone else had walked through there in the past day. Neither of them said much. They were more worried about if they found Sophia and she'd been bitten. How would they deal with that? And worse, how would they tell her mother? It was bad enough that adults were killed every day, but to lose a child would have to be the worst thing imaginable.

As they walked they herd a sound that made them stop and look. “Was that a gun shot?” Ell asked Glen.

“That's what it sounded like.” Glen answered looked all around them. The sound sounded pretty far from them. But was still close to make them nervous.

“Should we go back?” Ell didn't know if that meant some one found Sophia or if someone was in trouble.

“Lets keep going.” Glen knew they wouldn't fire a shot for finding Sophia. No one said anything about that. And if they were in trouble it would have been more than one shot they herd. So they kept walking.

After a full day of walking through the woods Ell followed Glen back to the highway. Making their way back to the group she could see smiling faces. “I guess someone found her.” Ell smiled herself. She hated the idea of losing someone.

“Looks like it.” Glen walked up to the group where Carol hugged him and thanked him for helping look for her. Ell stood back. She was more than happy to help, but had never been much of a hugger. When Rick locked eyes with her she knew he would make his way to her.

“Daryl found her hidden in a rotten old tree.” Rick said as he stood beside Ell.

“Who fired the shot?” Glen asked.

“We thought it was Shane, but he hasn't come back yet.” Rick said looking toward the trees.

“Why would he fire just one shot?” Ell didn't think much of Shane but thought he was smarter than that.

“It had to be him, everyone else is back and they all said they didn't do it.” Rick answered feeling the same way Ell did.

It was close to dark and Shane and Lori still hadn't returned. At first Rick figured they stopped for a little adult activity. But now he was sure something wasn't right. They sat around a small fire eating and rejoicing over Sophia's safe return. “Hey Rick.” Andrea called out from the top of the RV. “There's some one walking down the road.” She said.

Rick picked up his riffle as he stood up. Looking through the scoop he could see that it was a man walking in their direction. It wasn't a walker, the man walked like he was paying attention to where he was going. Walkers would just walk into stuff. With the dark he couldn't tell if it was Shane or not.

“What are you going to do?” Andrea asked still looking though her binoculars.

“I'm gonna walk toward them, find out who it is.” Rick held tight to his riffle and began walking away from the safety of the group.

After passing about five cars Rick was about two car lengths from the other man. “That's far enough.” He held his riffle up and aimed at the person.

“Rick it's Shane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you still like this story let me know it. And stay tuned it just keeps getting better.


	8. Chapter 8

“Rick it's Shane.” Shane held his hands up until Rick lowered his riffle.

“What the hell happen to you?” Rick asked as Shane walked closer to him.

“Lori was shot.” Shane said as he hurried past Rick. He explained that while looking for Sophia another man in the woods shot at a deer. The bullet went clear through the deer and hit Lori. The other man helped Shane get her to a farm where another man helped to care for her.

“She's still there. At that farm. They said we could all go there.” Shane talked to the whole group. He told them all how to get there and that he was going now.

“Is she okay?” Rick asked. He was more concerned about Carl then Lori.

“The doctor said he may have to operate, he's not sure.” Shane whispered to Rick. He didn't want Carl to hear how bad his mother was.

Rick, Cal and Shane got in a car and left. The rest of the group stayed behind to gather all the stuff they had found. They would join them as soon as they could. Ell helped Amy and Andrea get their stuff packed into the SUV.

The marks on Ells neck had faded away but Amy hadn't forgot. Now that they had found Sophia the mood had lightened up. “You know I still don't believe you fell on your neck.” Amy said smiling at Ell. Ell just rolled her eyes and ignored her. “I think that maybe you and one of the men around camp are closer then what your letting on?” She was posing a question that she wouldn't get an answer to.

“That's much more believable then 'I fell on my neck'” Andrea added her two cents.

The three women kept packing the SUV. “Lets see who could it be?” Amy started. “Well Dale's out, he's to old. It'd be like sleeping with your own dad.”

“Well we know it's not Shane.” Andrea was more than happy to play this game. There was no more TV so this was like a real life soap opera.

“What about Daryl?” Amy asked and looked at Ell to see if she wold turn red.

“Daryl?” Ell asked. “I'm sure he's a good guy, I mean he was the first to volunteer to look for Sophia. But I think his type wears leather and has a few more tattoos then I do.” Ell said almost laughing.

“Okay what about Glen?” Andrea asked. “He's your age, he's sweet and innocent. What about it? Are you corrupting Glen?”

“Corrupting Glen? Glen's to nice to have sex.” Ell laughed.

“What do you mean to nice to have sex?” Amy asked.

“He's just one of those guys that don't seem like they would know what to do with a naked girl in front of them.” Ell threw the last bag in the SUV and shut the back.

“I know those were hickeys.” Amy looked Ell dead in the eye. Ell just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

The group was ready to go. Getting in the vehicles they made a convoy and drove to the farm house. When they got there they were greeted by a young woman named Maggie. She told them where they could park and set up their tents. It was getting dark so everyone was working together to get the makeshift camp set up.

Ell had a small two man tent she'd been staying in. As she was trying to get it set up Glen came over to help her.“Is that where you'll be sleeping tonight Glen?” Andrea asked as she and her sister walked by.

“What?” Glen looked at the two as they walked off. He was confused. “What are they talking about?” He asked Ell.

“Who knows?” Ell shook her head. She knew what they meant by that but she didn't feel like explaining it to him. When Glen was done helping her Ell thanked him. He left to see if he could help anyone else and she began to make a bed. She had two sleeping bags and a few blankets. It wasn't much but she would lay the sleeping bags flat on the ground then use the blankets to cover up with. It was still summer and the nights were to warm to use sleeping bags.

A few hours after arriving Rick emerged from the house. Walking to the fire he informed everyone that things with Lori were touch and go. Hershel was hopeful that he wouldn't have to operate, but only time would tell. Shane and Carl were staying in the house to stay at her side. Sitting down he looked across the fire to see Ell. She had a sympathetic smile on her face.

Slowly one by one people went to their tents for the night leaving Rick and Ell alone. When he was sure that everyone was asleep he got up and sat next to Ell. He felt bad for leaving her to go with Shane. But he didn't leave to be there for Lori or Shane. He left to be there for Carl. The whole thing was complicated. The last thing he wanted to do was create distance between him and Ell. He just wanted to do what was right by his son.

“Long day.” He said stirring the fire.

“Yea, how's Carl?” Ell asked.

“Worried about his mom.”

“She'll be okay. Of all places to end up. What are the chances she would end up in the house of a doctor?”

“He's a vet.”

“What?” Ell looked at him like he'd lost his mind when he laughed. “Hershel's a veterinarian.”

“Well. I'm sure she'll be okay any way.” Ell didn't know what to say.

“Yea.” Rick sighed. Standing up he took Ell by the hand. He started walking to her tent. Unzipping the tent he let her in then got in behind her and zipped the tent back up. Now in the tent and out of prying eyes Rick wrapped his arms around her. Ell held him close to her. She'd been waiting all day for his touch.

The next morning Ell woke alone once again. Slipping out of the tent she walked as everyone around her was busy doing something or other. She made her way to Andrea and Amy knowing that she could help with what every they were doing. “Any update this morning?” Ell asked as she began folding laundry.

“Hershel's gonna have to operate. Shane and Otis are going on a run to find supplies.” Amy answered. Ell looked up at the house. Rick, Shane and Otis were on the front porch. Rick handed Shane his revolver. The two men got in an old blue pick up truck and left. Rick looked at Ell for a moment before turning and going back in the house.

The three women made small talk working on the cloths when Maggie walked up to them. “I have to run into town and Rick said I should take Ell?” She asked unsure which of them was Ell. Ell looked at her knowing that Rick wanted her to go for some reason. She just didn't know what it was. With little choice she followed Maggie to the barn where Glen was already waiting.

After getting three horses saddled Ell rode following Glen and Maggie. Passing the people at camp she looked at Amy knowing all to well that she was going to say something. “Behave yourselves you two.”

All three of them looked back at Amy at the same time. But only Ell knew what she was talking about. After about half a mile Maggie turned toward the trees. Ell had never been on a horse. The woods would require some grace to not fall off the horse. “We have to go through the woods?” She asked desperate not to fall off a horse.

“It's quicker.” Maggie stopped which stopped the other two horses.

“It's just, the terrain is rougher that's all. I 'm just afraid to fall.” Ell wasn't afraid of a whole lot but a six foot fall from a horse in the middle of the woods made her nervous.

“You'll be fine.” Glen reassured her that if he could do it she could.

Ell was still hesitant but went anyway. She figure that if she fell she would just walk the rest of the way. Maggie had said it was only two miles.


	9. Chapter 9

Rick stood out on the front porch as the old pick up truck returned. When Shane stepped out without Otis he knew the news wasn't good. Shane told Rick that Otis didn't make and left it at that. Inside Hershel made quick work of removing the bullet fragments from Loris body. With the news that Lori was going to make it Rick felt better. More for Carl than anything else. He wasn't a fan of Lori's anymore but he didn't want his son to go through the pain of losing his mother.

Knowing that Carl felt better Rick went out side to find Ell. With all his focus on Carl he'd spent almost no time with her. Walking to the camp he asked Amy where she was. “She went with Glen and Maggie for a run.” Amy looked at him like he was stupid. “You told Maggie to take her.”

“Yea, I thought they would be back by now.” Rick looked in the direction they had left in. He wondered if he should get in a car and go look for them. He didn't know where the pharmacy was or how long it would take to get there and back on horse back. Figuring he shouldn't panic Rick decided he would give them more time.

Inside the pharmacy Maggie and Ell looked through the drugs. Hershel had given them a list which they split. Glen began looking for anything else they could use. Ell looked on the bottles trying to match the name on the bottle to the one on the paper. The whole time she wondered what was going through Rick's mind by sending her. What the hell could he have possibly been thinking? Maybe he was just trying to get rid of her for a while. But why? “I got everything on my list.” Maggie said as she walk toward the front of the store. 

Glen put a few items in his bag as he looked back to Ell. She was still trying to find things on her list. “You guys go ahead, I'll catch up in a few minutes.” Ell told them.

“We can't leave you.” Glen replied.

“Why not, Maggie said she makes this run by herself all the time. I'll be fine now that I know the horse won't kill me.” Ell smiled and made them laugh.

“Are you sure?” Maggie asked her.

“Yea, I just have a few things, I'll catch up with you before you get back to the woods.” Ell reassured them. Glen and Maggie knew she was an adult capable of taking care of herself so they got on their horses and started back.

Now alone in the pharmacy Ell began talking to herself. “How the hell are you so post to find anything if everything sounds the same? What kind of moron comes up with these names? Lets name everything so that every drug has a name that sounds like something else and see how many people we can kill. Hell you don't have to go to college for seven years to be able to kill a person.” She was rambling on and on.

Glen and Maggie appeared for out of the woods. Rick was happy to see that they were finally back. He waited for Ell to appear right behind them, but she never did. At the barn Glen and Maggie got off their horses. “Where's Ell?” Rick asked them before they could even turn around.

“She told us to go ahead, that she would catch up to us.” Glen answered Rick.

“She should be here by now.” Maggie's face showed worry. Rick got up on the horse that Glen had been riding and had Maggie tell him how to get to the pharmacy. Once he knew where he was going Rick turned his horse and dug his heels in, making the horse take off running.

Riding through the woods Rick ducked and blocked tree limbs with his arms. He wasn't going to let anything stop him from getting to Ell. She had brought a whole new dynamic to his life. It was another reason to live outside of Carl. The thought of having to lay down that night with out her touch was almost to much to bare.

When he got to the road he slowed his horse to a walk. He could see the horse tied out front of the tiny store. He could see a person standing next to the horse. It looked to have Ells cloths, but the question was if it was Ell had she been bitten? He approached slowly. When he got closer he was sure it was Ell, but he still didn't know if she'd been bitten. As she started to turn around he held his breath. 

“What are you doing here?” Ell asked looking up at Rick. 

Sighing a breath of relief Rick stopped his horse and got down. He hugged her tightly and Ell wondered for a moment if he had lost it. “Why didn't you come back with Glen and Maggie?”

“I had a few more things to get, I was only in there for a few minutes.” She thought he was over reacting. 

“It was longer than that.”

“I guess I took longer than I thought.” Ell realized that if Glen and Maggie had gotten back and Rick had gotten to her then she must have taken a lot longer than she thought. “I must have lost track of time.” She felt bad for worrying him. Looking him over she saw all the cuts on his arms from hitting tree limbs on the way there. “Look at your arms. Lets get you cleaned up.” She took him by the arm and took him inside the store. “Sit here.” 

Rick sat and watched as she walked around the store gathering items. With her arms full she walked back to him. Getting on her knees she sat in front of him right between his legs. She took a cotton ball and poured alcohol on it then dabbed the cuts on his arms. Rick winched from the burn. Ell took a hold of his arm and turned it so she could blow on the wound. Swallowing hard Rick wondered why he found this to be such a turn on.

After cleaning all the cuts she opened anti bacterial ointment. Putting some on her pinky she softly put it on the cuts. Next she took some gauze and wrapped them around his arms and taped them to keep them in place. “There, all cleaned up.” Ell smiled as she put her hands on his knees. Rick bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

With one hand tangled in her hair and the other making its way under her shirt, Rick moved to his knees. Not once taking his lips away from hers. Ell put her hands on his hips and pulled his body to hers. It had been days since they were able to touch each other this way. The built up frustration was making her body ache.. Ell kissed his cheek then his jaw, then his neck. 

Closing his eyes Rick just savored the sensation. “I love you.” He whispered in her ear.

Ell stopped kissing his neck and pulled back. That was the last thing she expected him to say at that moment. She didn't know weather or not to say it back. She hadn't given much thought as to how she felt about him. She was just enjoying the moment when she was with him. I love you meant something long term in her mind. And in the current state of the world there was no long term. Hell there wasn't even a tomorrow. She never thought she would hear another man whisper those words to her again. And here it was.

Rick just looked into her eyes wondering what she was thinking. She stopped but hadn't said anything. He couldn't read her well enough to know if she was mad or happy. He didn't know what was going through her mind. The fact that she didn't say it back and had stopped made him feel that this wasn't a going to end well. He still had a hand in her hair and the other on her side. Her hands were still on his hips. He just waited. 

Still starring into his eyes she could see that he meant it. She just pressed her lips back to his. Locking her fingers in his belt loops she pulled his body back to hers. Arching her hips she left no doubt about what she wanted. Rick ran his hands down her body to find the bottom of her shirt. Slowly he lifted it up over her head and dropped it to the ground next to them. They both smiled as he softly laid her back on the ground.

He kissed and touched every inch of her body. She was there with him in the moment. And this was a moment he wanted to bask in for as long as he could. Weather is was said again or not he loved her. And she was his. There was a fire that had been reignited within his soul and she was the flame.


	10. Chapter 10

Rick held the door to the pharmacy open for Ell. She walked through and right to her horse. He walked behind her and stood there with his hand on her back as she got up in the saddle. He then got on his horse so they could return to the farm. They should have been back long ago. He was already thinking of excuses for what took so long. 

Neither he nor Ell were ready to tell everyone about them. Especially now. He'd said I love you and she didn't say anything. He needed to know how she really felt so he could talk to Carl. He wanted to let Carl know they were seeing each other before he herd from someone in camp. But after what had just happen he wasn't sure what was actually going on between the two of them. Did she love him as well or did she think this was jut for sex?

Rick rode along following behind Ell. The few times they found themselves side by side she smiled at him. But not a single world was uttered between the two of them the whole way back. When they got to the barn Ell told him that she would get the horses put away so he could go check on Carl. And so he left with out getting his question answered.

That night around the fire every one laughed and joked. There was a scene of safety on the farm. They hadn't seen a walker since they arrived. There was power, plenty of water and food. Life was good. The only thing was Hershel had never said they could stay for sure. They were just temporarily there. The subject of weather or not they could stay had not been brought up. 

Rick being the 'leader' of the group would have to be the one to bring up the subject of staying. He knew everyone wanted to stay. They were fixing things in a more permanent way than they ever had before. And he wanted to stay. This was the first place he felt safe to let Carl out of his sight. This could be a place for him and Ell to make things more official. At least more so than it was. And maybe then they wouldn't have to sneak around.

Shane walked out to the fire long enough to update everyone on Lori's condition. She was doing well and Hershel thought she would be back up and moving around in a week. Rick knew he would have to talk to Hershel before then. But at that moment that was the furthest thing from his mind. When Ell got up to leave the fire he waited a minute then left himself. 

Ell didn't go to her tent. She walked past the RV out toward the trees. Rick followed her. She ducked behind a tree and out of sight. He stopped and waited knowing that she would return in just a few minutes. And when she did she was surprised to see him. “You following me again?” She asked with a smile on her face.

“I might be.” He joked. 

Ell raised an eye brow before shaking her head. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. Rick pulled her close to him and kissed her on the forehead. He didn't know how to approach the issue. Knowing how he felt about her but not knowing how she felt made him feel very vulnerable. How could he bring it up with out making her mad, or making it out to be a big deal. He was screwed no matter how he did it, so he just did it.

“Back at the pharmacy...” He started. Ell looked deep into his blue eyes. She knew she owed him some sort of answer. But she didn't know what to say. Of course she felt the same way he did. She just wasn't sure she was ready to say it out loud. If she never said anything and something were to happen to him then she could pretend she never cared in the first place. It was easier now to just not have feeling then to have to deal with them when the one you love dies.

“It's late, maybe we should go to bed?” Ell took him by the hand. Pulling him toward the tent she wanted to avoid the conversation all together.

“Wait.” Rick pulled his hand from hers and stopped walking. “Are you trying to avoid the question?” His tone changed slightly. He wasn't really mad, but he wasn't really care free anymore either. 

“If you must know, yes.” She crossed her arms and took a defensive stand.

“I tell you I love you and you would just rather avoid the subject all together?” He was puzzled. Of all the women he'd ever dated or known not one of them did want to talk about their feelings.

“Why does it matter so much? I'm here now, with you. That should be all that matters.”

“Because this isn't just about sex for me.”

“Is that what you think this is for me? Do you really think that little of me? That all of this has just been about the sex?” Ell turned to walk away from him feeling hurt that he felt that way.

“Hey,” Rick grabbed her by the arm turning her back to him. “I have a son to think about. And people depending on me.” 

“And I have nothing on my mind but sex.” Ell pulled away from him and walked away. Rick sighed knowing that the conversation couldn't have gone any worse if he tried. With nothing else he could do about it that night he turned and went back to his tent. Sleeping alone was the last thing he wanted. Starring at the top of his tent he felt as though he was alone in a tent made for a hundred people. You never realize how much space you have until your alone.

The next morning Ell helped Amy with the dishes. She starred out the window, lost in her own little moment. “What's wrong with you?” Amy asked noticing that Ell wasn't her usual somewhat happy self.

“Nothing.” Ells normal response.

“You and lover boy have a spat?” Amy joked. Little did she know that she was right. “So who it?”

“What?” Ell snapped back to the moment at hand.

“Who's the mystery man?” Amy put the last dish down.

“Trust me there's no man. They cause to much trouble.” Ell walked away leaving Amy to wonder if she was right or not.

Out side Rick walked toward the barn. He'd seen Hershel walking alone and he thought now would be a great time to talk to him about the group staying. “Rick.” He herd from behind him. When he turned around he saw Shane walking toward him.

“Something wrong?” Rick asked worried about his son.

“Nah, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.” Shane walked along side his one time best friend and the ex husband of his current lover. “What's going on with you and the little brunette?” 

“Who?” Rick tried to play it off as if he didn't know what Shane was talking about.

“Ell.” Shane answered. Rick stopped walking and turned to face him. “Yea, I saw the way you were looking at her at the CDC. The way you two seem to disappear at the same time.” Shane started to smile. He still thought of Rick as his best friend. In his mind he did nothing wrong by sleeping with Lori. They were separated and on their way to a divorce well before they started seeing each other.

“Look...” Rick started but paused. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew if things kept going everyone would find out. But after the pharmacy and the night before he wasn't sure if there was anything to tell. “I wanna talk to Carl before he finds out from some one else. But with his mom getting hurt I was just waiting for the right time.” He had to admit it. Shane wasn't a moron.

“Good for you man.” Shane patted him on the should like they were back in high school. He figured that if Rick had found some one knew then they could just be one big happy family.

“Don't say anything until I can talk to Carl.” Rick hoped that Shane could be enough of an adult to understand where he was coming from.

“Don't worry about it.” Shane smiled and walked away. He knew he had to act fast to end things between the two of them. 

Rick walked away not caring to much that Shane knew about him and Ell. He had more important things to worry about at the moment. He needed to talk to Hershel. To secure them a place to stay. And he needed to smooth things over with Ell or there would be anything to for Shane to tell any one about any way. Rick found Hershel standing and looking out upon his field.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update took longer than I wanted, but here it is. Enjoy

Rick walked back to the camp after talking with Hershel. He wasn't too thrilled with the response he'd gotten. For being a man of God, Hershel sure was ready to see them gone and possibly dead. But he didn't out right say no. So, Rick could still work on him.

When Ell saw Rick walking up to the fire she got up and walked away. Rick sighed knowing she was still pissed. He wasn't sure what to do. She'd never been mad at him before. He wondered if he should just give her, her space or if he should go to her. Before he could make up his mind Glen came up to him. “I think we have a problem.” Glen stood there.

Rick walked up to the barn slowly. If Glen was right, he would hear something. Peering inside a small crack he jumped when the large doors bounced causing the chains around them to rattle. “Dam it!” The anger in his voice rang out and everyone standing near him could clearly understand why. There were walkers in the barn. Not just one or two but more than a dozen. With everything else going on at the moment this was the last thing that he wanted to deal with. But he knew this wasn't something that he could just let go of and wait to deal with.

Shane walked toward Rick. Stopping just inches from him he put his hand on his hips and glared. “What are we going to do man?” Shane knew this was exactly the kind of thing that would show the group that he and not Rick should be in charge. He was going to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

“I have to talk to Hershel, if he's keeping them, he must have a reason.” Rick didn't want to do anything to upset Hershel.

“It doesn't matter what his reason is, we need to deal with this or leave.” Shane raised his voice wanting to be sure that everyone herd him.

“Hershel thinks their people, sick people.” Dale stepped between the two men.

“You knew?” Rick asked wondering why he would keep something like that from the group.

“I talked to Hershel, he thinks they can be saved.” Dale had always tried to be the voice of reason. This kind of thing could insight panic.

Rick looked over the group. The fear in the eyes of the people that looked to him for answers was almost more than he could bear. A decision would have to be made and he knew it would fall to him. Through the group he spotted Ell. Their eyes met for a moment before she turned away and walked out of sight. He hadn't had a chance to try and fix things between the two of them. The thought of sleeping alone that night was beginning to weigh heavy on his mind.

Ell walked to the tree line. It seemed the be the only place to truly get any privacy. With so many people around, it was getting harder and harder to find a place to just sit and think quietly. Finding a shady tree, she sat with her back against it and closed her eyes. After a minute she herd footsteps. Knowing all too well who was walking toward her she kept her eyes closed.

The footsteps stopped just inches from her. She didn't open her eyes or talk, she just waited. “I'm sorry.” Ricks voice finally broke the silence. Ell opened one eye looked at him and then turned back and closed her eyes again. Rick knelled down next to her. “Look what I said came out wrong, I didn't mean it that way.” He paused.

Rick looked to Ell for some sign that she wasn't just ignoring him. She didn't say anything; she didn't know what to say. She didn't want to fight with him. And not touching him with him being that close to her was killing her. The truth was she didn't know what to do. The thought of spending another night alone nagged her.

“I know I said,” he paused. “Well I didn't say,” He stopped again. “I just thought.” Ell looked at him. He was obliviously lost for words. “I love you. I don't care if you say it back. I don't care as long as I have you.”

“I'm not going anywhere.” Ell finally broke the silence. Rick sighed a breath of relief as he reached for her. He put his hands on her face and leaned to her to kiss her. She was happy to feel his lips on hers.

“I have to get back. Can we pick this up tonight?” Rick stood up then helped Ell to her feet. She nodded her head. Rick walked back to the barn. During his absence Shane had started a watch. People would keep an eye on the barn around the clock. At that moment he didn't care. If it kept the peace for the time being, he was more than okay with that. It would give him time to work things out with Hershel and maybe find time to talk to Carl about him and Ell.

Walking back to the barn Rick was stopped by Hershel. And is taken to the woods with Jimmy. Holding a catch pole and listening to Hershel talk about what he would have to do if he wanted to stay on his farm. He wondered what was in store for him. And just where were Jimmy and Hershel leading him.

Ell walked up to the house where she found Amy sitting on the porch. “What the hell is going on around here?” She asked as she sat down next the younger sister.

“Other than you and lover boy?” Amy smiled.

Ell rolled her eyes. “What I mean is Lori looks at me like I killed her husband, Shane is walking around like he lost his mind. Rick diapered into the woods with Hershel and Jimmy. Glen is making moves on Maggie. There must be something in the water.”

As she finished talking Shane came walking toward the house with a fierce intensity in his eyes. A large bag over his shoulder and a shot gun in his hands. “This isn't going to end well.” Ell watch as he got closer.

“What are you doing with all those guns?” Maggie stepped between Shane and everyone else.

“I'm doing what has to be done.” Shane handed Lori a gun then turned to begin handing out guns to everyone else.

“You do this, with all these guns my dad will kick you out.” Maggie was furious.

“Watch me.” He pushed past her.

Ell stood up. “Have you lost your mind.” She stood chest to chest with Shane. “Rick is dealing with this.”

“I don't like how he's dealing with it. Now take this.” Shane handed her a gun. Ell took the gun only because she knew that whatever happen this wasn't going to end well.  
Shane led the group to the barn. As he approached the barn Rick walked from around the corner of the barn. With a walk on a catch pole. Hershel and Jimmy followed with another walker. “No way in hell man.” Shane shot both walkers in the head. Hershel stood in shock as they fell to the ground. “No more of this bull shit! It ends today!” Shane ran to the barn.

The group watched in disbelief as Shane broke the locks and chains on the barn door. Standing there at the front of the ground he watched as a walker came out, then another, and another. Everyone fanned out and raised their weapons, ready for a massacre. Rick stood back and watched.

Shane started firing which opened the flood gates. Everyone else began to fire and it sounded like fireworks. One right after another. Ell stood and took aim. She didn't agree with what Shane was doing. But she wasn't about to let anyone get hurt because Shane had finally lost his mind.

When the last shot was fired and the final walker was on the ground Ell looked around. Turning her gaze met Ricks. Neither could believe what had just happen. Hershel stood and began to walk to the house. Ell stood where she was while the others followed Hershel. Rick walked to her and just wrapped his arm around her. “Are you okay?” Rick held her tight.

“I'm fine.” Ell leaned back still keeping her hands on him. “What the hell was Shane thinking?”

“He wasn't.” Rick looked up to the house just in time to see Maggie slap Shane across the face.

With the day’s events the group was in limbo as far as weather they would be staying or going. Things were getting out of control fast and if Rick didn't set things right Hershel would kick them off his land for certain.

**Author's Note:**

> I have many more chapters written and ready to go, if people seem to like this I can update quickly. Let me know what you think.


End file.
